The Boy with the Scarf
by stayflaminhotman
Summary: An Equalist!Korra AU. Korra dreams of a man in a scarf, but she works for a man in a mask.
1. Part I

Korra begins to pick the vibrant fire lilies and walks further into the sea of red. She realizes that she's not alone when she hears footsteps coming from behind her. She turns around and is puzzled to see that the owner of the footsteps, a boy, is walking away from her, his scarf blending perfectly with the red colors of the flowers. Korra curiously follows him, purposefully rustling the flowers to get him to notice her, but the boy keeps walking. Soon he creates a great distance between them, and she runs out towards him crying, "Wait!" but her foot slips and the field of flowers swallow her before she can reach him.

Korra wakes up with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. She wipes a tear from her eye and confusion sweeps over her. _Why am I crying? _she thinks to herself. It was only a dream. The events of the dream begin to elude her memory, but the image of the boy with the scarf burns in her mind. She lets out a groan as she sees the time on her clock. Being underground, the lights of dawn can't greet her at the start of a new day, and the darkness makes the morning all the more evil. She lets out another groan when she realizes that her roommate has already left. As much as she wants to stay in the comfort of her bed, Korra reluctantly gets up and begins to dress. She pulls on the green suit and begins to clasp the gold buttons. She ties the maroon scarf around her neck and feels a pang in her chest. The boy in her dream wore a similar scarf.

She dismisses her feelings, it was only a dream and she leaves it at that as she laces up her boots, grabs her helmet, and exits the room. The Equalists' headquarters consist of a labyrinth of tunnels under Republic City with areas to train, eat, and sleep. This makes it more like a small city than a mere training facility. Ever since Amon won the war, the equalists move around more freely and openly than before, but many still live and train in the tunnels to ward off the threat of a counter-strike by bending rebels. Korra heads to the schedule master's office to receive her assignments for the day, and groans when it mainly consists of hours of chi-blocking training and guard duties. The headquarters also functions nicely as a prison for traitors and those apart of the bending counterattack.

Noticing that chi-blocking training starts at seven, and the clock on the wall says six-thirty, Korra runs in the direction of the mess hall in hopes of grabbing a quick meal before taking part in the training session. When she arrives, she slows her pace to and strolls into the hall, grabbing her bowl of fried rice. "What's shakin' Kaz?" Korra asks her roommate, Kazue, who's almost done her breakfast already.

"I see you finally got up," she replies, wiping her face with a napkin. Korra laughs and takes a seat next to her friend. "So, what does your day look like?" Kazue asks.

"Really boring," Korra huffs, "Just a ton of training and then some guard duties later. I always get the worst schedules, while everyone undergoes incredible missions; sometimes with the boss himself!"

Kazue laughs and says, "Korra, you're such a rookie. Once you complete your initial training, I bet you'll get the type of mission you want." Kazue then excuses herself from the table, and Korra finishes the rest of her meal alone. She grumbles something about wishing she got the good missions and places her dish on the cart to be washed. Korra hurriedly makes her way to the training facility, not wanting to be late for her three-hour session… again.

* * *

Many equalists like her pack into the gym. She figures today will be hand-to-hand combat instead of practicing on the dummies, which she despises. She loves the thrill of battle and taking on people twice her size. Thinking about taking on skilled benders makes her long for the experience. Each equalist grabs a partner and they begin practicing their chi-blocking techniques on each other. Korra's partner is a scrawny male who's only a few inches taller than her. They begin to practice, and Korra soon realizes that what this man lacks in muscle, he makes up for in speed. She barely dodges a jab to the arms, a move that cripples most benders instantly. She counters this strike with a jab to his legs and he falls to the ground. When training, chi-blockers don't typically incapacitate their opponents, so she lends out a hand to help him up.

"Very nice young one," a voice praises her. Korra turns around and is shocked to see that it is the man in the mask himself, Amon! She blushes and feels the heat flush to her face as she stammers,

"Th-thank you Amon, sir!" She's completely taken off guard, but flattered that Amon cares enough to say something to her. She has never met the man himself, but she knows just how skillful and charismatic he is.

"And what is your name, my sister?" he asks coolly.

"K-Korra," she manages to say.

"I expect great things from you Korra. Very great things indeed," Amon remarks before leaving her with her partner and moving on to oversee the rest of his henchmen.

* * *

After training, Korra feels absolutely exhausted as she trudges to the women's locker room to shower. She removes her smelly uniform and hops into the nearest stall to bathe. She rubs at her arms, which still feel the after affects of having her chi points blocked several times. As she washes her hair, she thinks about what Amon said to her and she grins to herself. Finally, she got herself noticed and might be on the fast track to important missions and not the mundane cycle she finds herself in daily. She exits the stall and puts on her fresh uniform from her bag, eyeing the maroon scarf carefully. Suddenly her dream from that night comes rushing back to her and she's overcome by emotion. _I'm sad, but why do I feel so sad_? she thinks to herself, grabbing on to the bench to keep her balance. She takes a few deep breaths and is relieved to have these feelings leave her body. She throws her dirty uniform down the laundry shoot and quickly leaves the locker room.

Korra pulls her helmet and goggles over her head before making her way down to the prisons. Most of the time she guards prisoners who defied Amon's new regime and attempted to start up bending counterrevolutions. Sometimes she even receives the privilege to hand the bending scum to the Lieutenant who then takes them to Amon to be cleansed. She makes her rounds down the prison hall, only looking into the cells every so often. She sees women, men, and the occasional teenager like herself. They appear worn down and haggard. She admits that the Equalists' headquarters is the worst prison in Republic City to end up in, but she does not feel any pity for the benders who must now suffer the harsh conditions. It is benders like them who abuse their powers and strike down the weak and defenseless. Amon finally brought balance to the world, something the avatar failed to accomplish.

This thought strikes a chord in Korra. All of a sudden she feels wrong. She feels like she's out of place guarding traitors in the Equalist headquarters and the tinted green world seen through her goggles feels like the wrong world. She does not know why thoughts of the avatar make her feel this way; she never met the girl with whom she unfortunately shared a name. According to Amon's victory speech at City Hall, the avatar fell and perished in the final battle for Republic City. Why does a dead girl cause these feelings within her, especially a _bender _like the avatar? The feelings of wrongness slowly leave Korra, and she takes out her pocket watch to check the time. _Only one more hour, you can do this Korra _she motivates herself; however, she fears that even another minute in this dark, dank place might make her go insane. Her thoughts have been especially unnerving today.

* * *

Normally the prisoners yell obscenities at her and her fellows, but today the silence is deafening. Korra almost wishes that the prisoners were more rowdy, because at least they'd give her an escape from her thoughts. She jumps back a little in fright as the Lieutenant comes through the door and walks down the hallway towards her. He stops to talk to another guard who then walks with him and then he stops at Korra.

"We need you two to chi block a bender and deliver him to Amon," he orders. He gives them the cell and prisoner number and Korra and her unknown brother move towards the cell. Dealing with a person who still has their bending is difficult and they must be cautious. They both need to chi block him at the same time, while leaving no room for possible escape. Korra looks into the cell at the man who, soon enough, would be cleansed of his bending. When he sees the two of them, his fear shines in his eyes. The door creaks open and the man, using all of his remaining strength, unleashes fire blasts at them, which they easily dodge. Soon they are upon him and he begs for them to stop, but this plea falls on deaf ears for Korra and her equalist brother block all of his chi points, which causes the man to crumple to the ground.

It takes the two of them to hoist him up on Korra's back and she follows the Lieutenant to Amon's office. "Sounds like he put up a fight," the Lieutenant observes while they wind through the labyrinth.

"Nothing we couldn't handle, sir," was her reply. She notices that she has never been in this part of the maze, which is odd because it's not like she's never delivered prisoners before to the boss. She realizes that Amon probably moves from place to place in his own headquarters to prevent possible spies from giving away his location. They arrive at a door and the Lieutenant knocks three times, stating, "We've got the prisoner you wanted sir".

"Very good, bring him in," is the reply. Korra hoists the prisoner farther up her shoulders before entering the room. The room is small and plainer than she expects. An anti-bending revolution poster adorns the wall above a desk with a clutter of papers. "Give him to me," Amon orders and she feels the man begin to struggle as she makes her way closer to Amon. She hands him over and the man begins to plea once again, but no one listens. Amon lowers him to the ground, and Korra is surprised and excited that she gets to witness Amon taking away someone's bending so up close.

This excitement disappears as a claustrophobic sensation falls over Korra, and the walls begin to close in around her. She wants with all of her heart to leave the room, but Amon never asked her to leave so she's stuck watching the man lose his bending. A fear rises up in her and Korra can't put her finger on the source, and does all she can to not bolt from the room. The room begins to spin and elongate. She does all she can to keep her balance and not lose it here, in front of Amon, but watching Amon place his thumb on the man's forehead causes something in her to snap. As soon as the bender collapses in front of her, Korra herself sees the world go dark and suddenly she's falling.

* * *

Her eyes flutter open and she feels the cold from her sweat on her entire body. How long has she been out? Minutes? Hours? Days? She could not tell. Korra looks at the ceiling and realizes she's in a different room than she was before the world went black. It appears to be some kind of infirmary. There's a man sitting in a chair by her bedside and she jumps back in fear when she realizes it's Amon. _Wait a second Korra, _she thinks to herself, _why are you afraid? He's Amon, your leader, and mentor, and a friend to nonbenders like you. _Amon cuts off her thoughts when he finally says from behind the mask, "You're finally awake young one. You took a nasty fall in my office earlier today."

She nods and looks at him, embarrassed that she fainted in front of him. She then realizes that she's been out for hours. _Oh spirits, has he been waiting here the entire time!? _"You're Korra, the skilled chi-blocker from earlier correct?" he asks her and she only nods in reply. "It's funny, I wonder what caused you to suddenly faint in my office. You looked so lively this morning."

"I-I've just been having a bad day," she answers in response. It's true, ever since she woke up from that dream she's felt off and somewhat detached.

"How so?" he muses. A tiny voice inside her tells her to lie, and she's startled by her own thoughts once again. Why should she lie to Amon is what she counters to the voice in her head. She ignores the voice and admits, "I've been having strange dreams and thoughts, and I don't know what's happening to me." She places her head in her hands and struggles to breathe evenly.

"I have something that might be able to help you with that," Amon offers and Korra looks up surprised. She's never heard of a medicine that countered dreams and vicious thoughts. "It's a sleeping draught," he continues, holding up a vile with a blue liquid, "and it should help you get through the night without a problem." She slowly reaches for the bottle and he drops it in her hand. "I'll make sure you have one every night," he promises and leaves the room before Korra can even express her thanks. She; however, misses the glint in his eyes and the smirk behind his mask.

When she finally convinces the nurse that she is fine and feels completely normal again, Korra finally leaves the infirmary. She doesn't feel the slightest bit hungry, so she makes her way to the room. She's surprised that it's only eight in the evening, but she figures that a good night's rest is what she really needs. She enters her room and eyes her empty bed longingly. She begins to undress and kicks off her boots. She still has the vial clenched in her hand. It takes a few minutes arguing with her inner self, but she finally takes a swig of the blue liquid, shuddering at its awful taste. Korra pulls the cover over her head in and drifts off to sleep. Only blackness greets her and the boy in the scarf does not visit her for a second evening.

* * *

Amon paces back and forth in his office, his hand holding his chin while he's deep in thought. "It appears that the avatar's old memories are seeping into her subconscious," he informs his lieutenant.

"Is there something we need to do about that sir?" he asks with worry lining his voice.

"No, I gave her something that will keep those pesky memories at bay for now, but we'll need to keep a closer eye on her than we've been. We can't have the avatar return while my plan is going so perfectly." The Lieutenant nods and exits the room, leaving Amon to his thoughts. He himself had never foreseen the power of the avatar's spirit and her small and subtle resistance to the mind control. He can't worry himself too much over this, as long as she continues to take the draught nightly, she will be his again in no time…

to be continued...


	2. Part II

Mako lies on his bed and looks up at the ceiling, deep in thought. _It's been a year_ he thinks solemnly to himself. He knows from experience how much can change in a year, in a day even, but he never thought his entire life would be thrown upside down in a matter of seconds and that the nightmare would drag on for more than a year.

_Sirens wail and the city is in chaos. They hear the deafening drones of the fighter planes above them and the earth shakes as bombs drop from the sky. Mako and Korra have more worries than the bombs and quakes because a crowd of equalists surrounds them. There's too many to fight off, but they have to try. Korra takes on a group while Mako occupies himself with the rest. He furiously throws fire attacks at them while dodging an onslaught of electricity and chi blocking. He then hears a terrible crack as one of the buildings directly above them brakes, resulting in a rain of dangerous debris. Without having time to think, Mako heads towards Korra, his only thought to protect her from this rain. Equalists be damned. Both he and Korra have a chance against them, but they don't have a chance against falling, burning infrastructure._

_She does not realize what's going on when he dives through the equalists and throws his body over her. She wiggles her way out from under him to make a shield of earth over them using her earthbending, but her efforts are a little too late. Mako grunts in pain, his legs trapped under what used to be a part of the shop above them. Luckily, not all of the equalists escaped this, but there are still too many of them, and Mako cannot free himself. He's still holding on to Korra and can feel someone pulling at her. Using all of his remaining strength, he holds on to Korra as tight as he can. He knows it's futile, but he's not letting them get her so easily. "We'll get through this Korra," he lies to her, his voice barely audible, "I'll be alright."_

_Korra's eyes begin to water as she replies, "I love you stupid," and Mako chuckles despite the situation._

_ Suddenly, he feels a boot stomp on his back and another one kick him hard in the head, and he unwillingly loosens his grip. This is enough for the equalists to pull Korra out from under him; however, she's not done with them. She uses fire bending to ward them off, but a few deliberate jabs to her chi points cause her to crumble to the ground. They grab her and Mako sees her struggle, her screams barely audible as his world begins to spin. "You can't just leave him there…please! Please!" she pleads hysterically with them before they knock her out and there's only silence._

Mako remembers all the time he spent in the makeshift hospital the White Lotus created for benders and nonbenders against the revolution after Amon won the war. To this day he does not know how he survived the entire ordeal. He pulls his father's scarf over his mouth, and remembers how tattered and dusty it was that day. He also remembers the day Asami brought him a needle and red yarn, and he remembers her surprise at his offer to fix the scarf himself. His legs healed after eight long months in the hospital, but he's definitely not as fast as he once was and even has a limp in his stride now. He remembers the lies in Amon's speech about Korra dying in the rain of bombs his men unleashed on the city as she ran away from the fight. She was very much alive when he last saw her, and still fighting.

Mako clenches his jaw. He knows Korra is alive and in Amon's headquarters somewhere. _She has to be_ he thinks to himself. He looks at his red armband in disgust, the band that identifies him as a fire bender. Since Amon's regime, it's illegal to bend and all benders must wear a band identifying the type of bending they have. He and his brother were put on lists, and eventually would be equalized. They already escaped underground after receiving a tip that they were next. He still keeps the armband in case he has to make trips up top. It's the law that even if you are equalized, you still must wear the armband, most liken to further your humiliation and remind you of your loss everyday. He still has to put up the appearance of an ex-bender even if his firebending is completely in tact.

He hears his door open, and moves his head to the side to see Asami enter the room with a tray of food. "You didn't have to do that Asami," he says to her. He's been able to get up and get his own food for a few months now. "Thank you," he makes sure to add as she puts the tray down on the table and sits in the chair.

"I know, but I haven't talked to you in a while Mako, and I worry about you," she says to him putting a hand on his face. "I know you worry about Korra. Bolin says you've been having nightmares again." They both look at Bolin sleeping soundly in the next bed, and Mako wonders how such a heavy sleeper like him can hear his nighttime grumblings.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Asami asks, and Mako takes this more than just an offer to help him get through the nightmares that find him in the dark. The wheels begin to turn in his head and a plan begins to unravel in his mind.

"Is there any way you could join the equalists, Asami?"

* * *

Three nights pass, and no dreams come to Korra. She feels frustrated because she actually prefers the dreams to the unsettling darkness of dreamless nights. After she unlaces her boots, she decides to not take the sleeping draught Amon gave her this night. Kazue eyes her suspiciously while she takes the draught and dumps it in the sink of their small bathroom.

"You're feeling all better then?" she asks and Korra just shrugs and replies, "Yeah, I guess so." She ignores any other look her roommate decides to give to her and turns out the lights before making her way back to her bed and pulling the covers over her head.

Korra is surprised to find herself in the field of fire lilies once again, and her heart leaps out of her chest when she sees the boy standing there, not walking away from her this time. She joyfully runs towards him, and she places a hand on his shoulder to turn him around. She gasps at how beautiful, and _familiar _he looks. The way his jet-black hair sticks up at odd angles, and the way his eyebrows twist up makes her heart ache. She traces her hand down his face, jaw, neck, and finally rests her hands on his chest.

"Who are you?" she breathes to him and is shocked to hear his short reply, "Mako". It's as if she always knew him, as if she's always known that was his name. "I feel like I know you," she says, placing her head on his chest.

She feels arms pulling at her and she sees the boy above her, his face coated in dirt and dust and the tattered remains of his scarf blowing wildly. She's crying and the words leave her lips, "I love you stupid," before she's pulled out from under him, and she sees his lower body crushed by a piece of a building. Her head swivels from left to right and she sees equalists holding on to her. She thrashes about, releasing a breath of fire from her mouth, and screams at them to not leave Mako to die, but they don't hear her and she slips from their grasp and falls into darkness.

Her hands are bound and she only sees Amon's mask slowly coming out of the darkness. She feels more afraid then she has in her entire life when his voice says, "I received your invitation young Avatar." She shakes, as she believes that her bending will be taken for good, but Amon grabs her face and she can only look up into his smirking mask. He goes on about how their final showdown is premature and that he has a plan for her. He jabs at a pressure point in her neck and blackness greets her once more.

Korra jolts upright in her bed, and immediately covers her mouth with her hands to stifle the scream about to escape her lips. Sweat is pouring down her face and coating her entire body, and tears shamelessly roll down her cheeks. Not even caring that she's not dressed, she runs out into the blackness of the tunnels, finding an abandoned room to curl up in a ball and cry in. She doesn't know why, but her nightmares feel more real than any dream she's ever had before in her life. She thinks about the happiness she felt in her dream before it spiraled into a horrible nightmare and of the beautiful boy with the red scarf. Korra tries to think of his name, but she can't remember and soon even the face that felt so real in her dream becomes a blur.

_Spirits, why can't I remember _she thinks furiously to herself before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. _He's probably someone you made up Korra _she assures herself _he's not real, and he didn't really die-_she begins to choke on the last thought and her tears begin flowing freely once again. She then remembers the part about the equalists attacking her and her_ firebending. _Why would she dream of being a bender, why did Amon call her the_avatar? _She shakes her head and begins to remind herself who she is.

_Your name is Korra and you're a nonbender. You were born to two nonbenders, who were killed by the triple threat triads. You joined the equalists to- wait_ Korra shakes her head. She knows this is her life but suddenly the details don't sound right to her. She thinks back to the first day she began as an equalist, but when she tries to go back further she can't remember anything. It's as if the other seventeen years of her life didn't happen and that she just began living this year, which is entirely impossible.

She looks up at the wall and the clock reads five-thirty in the morning. She knows Kazue will be up any minute and that she does not want her to find out about the events of this night, even if they were just nightmares. She quickly gets up, and wipes the tears from her eyes and exits the room. She looks around and for a moment she has no idea where she is. Korra uses mainly guesswork until the hallways begin look familiar and she eventually makes it back to her room. As stealthily as she can she opens the door and the sigh of relief Korra releases from her mouth at the sight of her sleeping roommate almost blows her cover.

Korra looks at her bed longingly, but she's almost afraid to go back to sleep and there is no point in lying down only to be woken up minutes later to get to work. She picks up her uniform and visions of equalists attacking here come swirling back to her and she feels sick. She forces herself to put the uniform on, convincing herself that she's tougher than her nightmares and that they won't stop her from continuing her life. She pulls her hair back in a single ponytail and opens the door.

"You're sure up early Korra", she hears Kazue remark behind her.

Korra turns around and answers, smiling, "Yeah, I figured an early start would be good for me."

* * *

Mako looks up and is on the defensive when he sees the all too familiar green of the equalist uniform come through his door. "Calm down Mako, it's only me," Asami says with her hands in the air, and all of Mako's muscles relax.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't tell it was you," he says. Mako's anticipation fills the room. What news did Asami bring? Did she find Korra? Mako's heart drops when he sees Asami shake her head before she says, "I didn't find her Mako. I was assigned prison duties, and I looked in every cell and there was no Korra. I even asked around and everyone told me she was dead. I'm so sorry."

Mako looks down trying not to lose it. He believed with all of his heart that Korra was alive, that she survived, and that Amon was lying the entire time. He still refuses to believe Asami. "You have to keep looking," he yells at her and Asami takes a step back. "I'm sorry," he apologizes to her, and she sits next him on the bed and wraps her arms around him.

"I'll keep looking for you Mako, but I don't know what I'll find," she chokes out, and Mako realizes that Asami is crying. He forgot how hard it must have been for her to look down the line of cells for her friend and realizing that she wasn't there and then hearing from others that she is actually dead.

Bolin enters the room, and Asami quickly stands up and exits the room, saying that she needed to get home and that her _father _would be missing her.

"Is everything alright Mako?" Bolin asks, and Mako nods and brightens up for his brother. He must stay strong for Bolin.

"Yeah, Asami said she'd look for Korra and spy on the equalists. She thinks they're keeping her somewhere secret" Mako says, forcing a smile.

Bolin exclaims, "Maybe we'll have her back sooner than we think and the world can go back to normal!"

"Yeah, maybe," Mako says, some sadness creeping into his happy façade.

* * *

Korra smiles when she thinks about the dream she dreamt that night as she sits alone in the mess hall. It wasn't anything special and she honestly does not remember most of it, but it was she and the scarf boy. They lay on a blanket and looked at the stars, and just talked. She doesn't remember what they talked about, but the memory of the dream makes her feel warm inside.

She hears footsteps coming up behind her and she turns around to see one of the prettiest girls she has ever seen in her entire life. She has dark, voluminous locks of hair that go out past her shoulders and glittering green eyes that pierce right through whoever she looks at. This girl is oddly familiar too, even though Korra has never seen her before in her entire life. A pang of jealousy hits her, which is also strange. The expression the girl is making, like she's just seen a ghost, unsettles Korra and she decides to speak up. "Um, can I help you?" she asks, getting a good look at the girl.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl says after realizing that she is making a face, "I was just wondering… is your name Korra by any chance?"

"Yep that's me," Korra replies, "Why?" Korra sees the girl quickly make another surprised face at her, but it's only fleeting before she regains her composure once again.

"My name is Asami, and I'm your new roommate," she says, beaming a little to happily at Korra. _How this priss ever became an equalist, I'll never know _Korra says, judging the girl only on her looks and overly friendly personality towards her. No one ever was this happy to see her.

"Wow, I guess Kazue got that promotion she wanted after all. It's very nice to meet you Asami," Korra says, extending her hand, which Asami takes.

"I was also wondering what your schedule usually looks like," Asami inquires and Korra gives her a puzzled look, which requires Asami to explain herself, "S-see I was curious if we have a similar schedule since I'm pretty new to this whole equalist shebang." Korra understands and hands Asami her schedule saying,

"This is what it normally looks like. I'll have training in the morning and guard duties in the afternoon, nothing special."

"Aww, it seems like we don't have any of the same duties," Asami says, pouting. _Spirits, what a shame _Korra thinks sarcastically to herself. "Well, I'm afraid I have to go! See ya around Korra," and as quick as she came, Asami, Korra's new roommate, was gone.

* * *

Mako is in the underground dining facility when he sees Asami enter the room, not in her equalist garb this time, looking a lot happier than he's seen her in a long time. Mako's spirits rise and he hopes that her change in mood means that she found Korra. She came over to Mako and began whispering, "I found Korra, but, they've done something to her," the happy look on Mako's face disappears at this remark.

"What did they do to her?" Mako asks, and the vision of Korra being starved or tortured pains him and he's almost afraid to hear what Asami has to say.

"She appears to not remember anything. She didn't even recognize me Mako, and she thinks she's an equalist."

This is worse than Mako ever could have imagined, but before he can say anything Asami says, "I think there might be away to at least get her out of there. Even if she can't remember us, we can't just leave her in the middle of the equalist headquarters where Amon can keep an eye on her," and Mako nods in agreement.

"What does she do as an equalist?" Mako asks, a dark curiosity coming over him.

"Amon apparently doesn't let her out much, which is understandable because he can't let anyone know the avatar is actually alive. She mainly has prison duties."

After hearing that last remark, an idea, a crazy idea at that, comes into Mako's head. He has to see Korra. He wants desperately to hold her in his arms and let her know that she'll be safe. He lost her and left her alone for a year, and now she's not even the Korra they know anymore, but he wasn't going to leave her alone any longer.

"Asami," Mako begins and she looks at him, puzzled. "What do you think it will take to get locked up in the highest security equalist prison in Republic City?"

* * *

Mako squints as he sees sunlight for the first time in weeks. He doesn't journey to the surface often and the extreme paleness of his skin proves that fact. He slowly makes his way down the street, not listening to obscenities thrown at him by equalists and nonbenders alike. He looks at an equalist newsstand and decides that this place will do. A fireball ignites from his fist and he sets the stand ablaze with his firebending.

_Now I've done it _he thinks to himself as a group of equalists surround him, ready to take him in for bending. He attempts to fight all of them, unleashing his firebending at all of them while dodging their chi-blocking attacks. He feels a continuation of jabs up his body and he falls to the ground. They tie him up and blindfold him before they throw him like a sack of potatoes in the back of one of their prisoner trucks. He's off to their headquarters…off to Korra.

to be continued…


	3. Part III

**A/N: Wow, this chapter is long, and it took me forever to write (not that I procrastinated or anything xD)! Thanks for all the kind reviews and critiques. They really mean a lot to me and are the reason that I present to you with this chapter today. Also, I hope this chapter is easier to read (thanks guest for pointing out the flaws in the formatting. It was actually pretty hard to read). Happy Mako Appreciation Day everyone!**

* * *

_"Mako, I'm not letting you do this!" Asami cries at him while they make their way down the tunnels to his room. "Not only is it absolutely insane, it's suicide! Even if you find to Korra you don't know how she'll react, and if for some reason she doesn't have guard duties during your arrest you'll be equalized! They won't let you go after escaping equalization once and using your bending in public. We've already lost Korra, I can't lose you too," Asami's voice breaks and her face contorts in pain._

_ "I'm sorry Asami, but I've already made up my mind," he says and he opens the door to the room he and his brother have been sharing for the past four months. Bolin, thankfully, is not there right now and Mako lets out a sigh when he sits down on his bed and Asami takes a seat next to him._

_ "What about your brother? You're not going to just leave him, are you?" Asami asks, her voice quieter. She hopes that the mention of Bolin will bring Mako back to his senses and stop him from carrying out his crazy plan, but the look he gives her—a look of pain, loneliness, and suffering all in one—tells her that her pleas don't reach him._

_ "I have to try Asami," he whispers, his voice breaking, "I have to try…"_

It's been two days since he last talked to Asami in the rebel base tunnels, and luckily no Equalist came for him yet. Figuring that he is too dangerous to simply be left alone with only bars keeping him in, the equalists chained his hands and ankles so that he couldn't move, let alone bend. He refuses all meals offered to him, which mainly consist of moldy bread and muddy water. He is too proud to accept anything from them, and he wants to avoid the embarrassment of an equalist feeding him. A feeling of dread passes over him when he realizes his predicament that consists of placing his fate in the hands of a girl who may or may not even remember his name.

As the days wear on, Mako grows weaker. Viewing him as less of a threat, the Equalists remove his bonds and allow him to move about his tiny cell. He even eats the food after deducing that dying of starvation will not help anyone in this situation. He uses his mobility to cling to the bars and to whisper Korra's name to any Equalist who passes by. Most ignore him; others yell obscenities back at him, while a select few roughly push him back into his cell. He has to keep trying; for he believes that soon one of the equalists has to be Korra.

* * *

Korra wakes up and sees that Asami is already dressed for the day and she silently reads a book while sitting on her bed.

"Are you waiting for something?" Korra asks curiously. Last night was the first night Asami actually slept in the underground headquarters and Korra finds she needs to get used to seeing her as her roommate, despite Asami's many nightly absences. All she knows about the girl is that she's a wealthy heiress to Future Industries and the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, who's a pretty high-ranking Equalist official.

"Oh, you're awake," Asami says, shutting her book and standing up to look at herself in the mirror. Korra watches as Asami fixes her hair into a ponytail and she sees her roommate's frown in the mirror's reflection. Korra wonders why Asami keeps taking it out to readjust it, seeing as she looked absolutely flawless no matter how many times she fixed the ponytail. When she finally liked how her hair look, she quickly braided it and said, "I could do your hair too if you like," but Korra shakes her head in response. "I was also thinking that we could head down to training together," Asami says, before turning around to smile at Korra.

Korra doesn't know how to reply to her new roommate. No one in her time as an Equalist has ever shown interest in her or wanted to spend time with her. Even her former roommate, Kazue, made an effort to always leave before her and eat breakfast before she got down to the mess hall. She hasn't been great at making friends, and maybe that's what she really needed and wanted.

_Maybe that's why I'm having the dreams and making up imaginary people. I don't have any real friends, so I made up my own _she thinks to herself. Noticing that Asami is still waiting for an answer she replies, "Yeah, I'd like that. We can even be partners! But I was thinking we should have breakfast first-," Asami cuts her off.

"I've already taken care of that," and Korra notices the two bowls of rice sitting on Asami's desk just as Asami picks up a bowl and hands it to her. "You looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn't want to wake you, so I brought breakfast up for the both of us and picked up your schedule. We have the late nine o'clock training session, which doesn't start for another hour, so I figured we could spend some time to get to know each other."

"Wow thanks Asami," Korra says taking a bite of the rice and not even bothering to finish eating, she continues, "You know, no one's ever done anything like this for me before," her mouth turns up in a small smile. Asami looks sadly at Korra. If only she knew how many people cared for her. If only she remembered.

"So, uh Asami. Why did you join the equalists?" Korra cringes at her bad attempt at conversation.

"Well I really didn't want to join at all and I really don't believe in everything Amon's doing. I only joined because it would please my father," is Asami's answer. The only thing she leaves out is the part about helping Mako save Korra from Amon and restoring balance to the world. Korra's jaw drops at her answer—at the brutal honesty. Most of the stories she hears are of people that were extorted by benders and wanted revenge, people like Korra, who lost their families or friends.

** "**So, what do you believe in then?" Korra asks, genuinely curious. She's never met a fellow Equalist who disagreed with Amon, and why would she even join if she doesn't share their beliefs? Mr. Sato forcing Asami to join is the only logical explanation she can come up with. Everyone believes the Sato's to be the luckiest and most perfect family in Republic City, and no one would ever dream that the perfection is only a cover for the troubled relationship between father and daughter.

Asami takes a minute to think of how she wants to answer the question. "I believe in diplomacy," she says simply. "I believe that benders and nonbenders can coexist together peacefully. Amon stopping the triads was the only good thing that has come out of this revolution, but he has gone too far. He now targets innocent men, women, and children just because they were born with an amazing ability. If they even try to fight back or question his regime, they have an essential part of themselves taken from them and are arrested. This is not equality. You let Amon become a ruthless dictator and democracy fell when he destroyed the council. The world is crumbling, and the good people left need to do something about it," she finishes.

The passion in Asami's voice leaves Korra utterly mesmerized. She could see her point of view, and…she agrees with it. She feels like she's always known that what Amon doing is not right. She shakes her head and Asami watches a little concerned as Korra continues to argue with herself silently in her head.

_Benders, _a cold voice says to her_, killed your parents_… _What makes you think any other bender wouldn't extort you in the same way? _A softer voice counters, _not all benders are bad, and maybe Asami is right that benders and nonbenders can coexist peacefully without the need for equalization. _Korra believes she is going insane and is thankful that Asami asks her the same question.

** "**Well, you see a firebender killed my parents when I was ten, and I joined the equalists to stop them for good so that they couldn't hurt anyone else ever again," Korra replies sadly.

"Oh Korra," Asami says, She wants to say that Korra's parents are alive and living in the South Pole, and that she's been brainwashed to forget her entire life, but she only says, "I know how you feel. The triple threat triads took my mother from me when I was very young. I feel it's better to not harbor thoughts of revenge and to move on. Dwelling on the bad things in life can destroy a person," she thinks of her father. She thinks of how his need for revenge changed him, and he almost killed her before Korra was captured and Amon claimed victory for himself.

"I'm so sorry," is Korra's only response. She can't believe how similar she and Asami are. She can't believe earlier she thought of her as just a pretty face and not as a person, and she's disgusted with herself for judging her, even if it was just in the safety of her mind, before getting to know her like she did now.

"Don't worry about me, I'm alright," she says while looking at the clock. "Goodness, look at the time!" Asami cries, grabbing Korra by her hand and dragging her behind her to the training facility, "We're going to be late!"

* * *

They arrive at the training facility, a little giggly and out of breath, but on time which is what mattered. Their fellows have already divided themselves into partners, but Korra and Asami were planning on being partners anyway, so they just stood facing each other. The gym erupted into noise as everyone practiced his or her chi blocking attacks on each other.

Even though Korra knows Asami more personally, she has no idea what her fighting skills look like. Korra calculates her moves in her head, and Asami is apparently doing the same because they are both hesitating before their attacks. Korra looks up and sees Amon making his way through the crowd, admiring the skills of one brother while giving advice to the next on his stance.

As quick as lightning, Korra aims a jab at her friend's waist, but she's shocked when Asami grabs her arm to disarm her while simultaneously blocking all of her chi points on the right side of her body. Korra falls backwards on her bum and looks up at her friend, who's smiling sheepishly. Korra can't believe how fast and skilled Asami is. _Definitely not prissy at all _she thinks to herself, glad that Asami proved her assumptions wrong in her personality as well as her fighting skills.

"That's my girl," a voice behind them says and a small, portly man comes up behind Asami and puts his arm around her shoulders in a half embrace. By the way Asami squirms uncomfortably in his grasp, Korra assumes that this is her father, Hiroshi Sato. He looks down at Korra with a smug expression on his face before saying, "See Avatar, not even you can match the skills of my daughter."

"What did you call me?" Korra asks rather loudly, and she sees his expression dramatically change when he realizes his mistake and Asami looks at him, her mouth agape. She doesn't notice Amon, who was in earshot of Hiroshi's remark, whip his head around and glare at the man. He called her the Avatar, but why? Visions of Amon's face and voice coming out of the shadows and of her firebending causes her head to spin, and she almost backs away in fright when she sees the man in the mask leaning over her, arm outstretched to help her up. She takes it and when she's pulled up he asks her to join him in his office, and she complies and looks back at Asami before leaving the facility.

* * *

Asami sits alone in the mess hall. She has barely touched her food and glances at the entrance often, hoping that Korra will walk through the door. She worries about her and she knows Amon only wanted to see her because of what her father carelessly said. Korra's reaction was what Asami expected, pure confusion, but a part of her wishes that her father's mistake would have brought back the old Korra and she would suddenly remember everything.

While she is lost in her thoughts, she doesn't realize that someone is walking up behind her. She jumps when she hears Korra's voice call, "Hey Asami!" Korra plops down in the seat next to her and begins shoveling the food down her throat. Asami just stares at her, and Korra slows her eating to a stop, now realizing that Asami is staring.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'll eat slower," she says, thinking that Asami is disgusted by the way she's eating her food, which is far from the truth.

"Where have you been?" Asami asks, and Korra finally notices the worry in her voice when she says, "You left training and were gone for hours!"

Confusion lines Korra's face and she says completely seriously, "I never left training Asami," and Asami looks at her like she's gone crazy.

"Yes you did!" Asami cries, and she realizes she's talking a little too loudly and she lowers her voice, "After my father talked to you, you went away with Amon and I haven't seen you since."

"No, I didn't talk to Amon, I'd think I'd remember that," Korra says smiling and she decides to recollect the beginning of her day so that Asami knows nothing happened to her. "After I talked to your father I found another training partner and trained for the remaining 2 hours, and then I took a shower, and now I'm here!" Asami turns to her tray of food, not wanting to argue with Korra who genuinely believes that's how she spent her day. Asami knows Amon has done something to her; she watched them leave the training facility and she knows it.

* * *

Asami hears her footsteps echo down the hall of the prison. She periodically looks over her shoulder to make sure no one is following her. She makes her way to the cell and stands with her back to it before whispering, "Mako it's me." She turns around and sees him walking towards her, and she touches his face through the bars. "You don't look well at all," she says, and Mako takes a hold of her hand.

"How's Korra," he asks her, looking into the green goggles of her helmet, imagining her expression inside. He doesn't see that she's frowning and very troubled.

"During training today, I-I knocked her down and my father saw…and he called her the Avatar," she says, her voice beginning to tremble.

"He did what?" Mako asks. He couldn't believe that Hiroshi slipped up and takes it as a small victory. With the slip up he might be able to convince her later to let him go and leave with him.

"Yeah, he completely messed up, but Amon heard him. Korra left training with him and disappeared for hours, and now she can't remember any of it. I'm scared he's done something to her and it frightens me, Mako," she replies, her voice cracking and a single tear rolls down her cheek. She's thankful that Mako can't see her through the helmets and goggles.

"I-I've been here too long already," Asami says suddenly and she unwilling lets go of Mako's hand, not wanting to leave him alone. She whispers in his ear before leaving, "She'll be here later, so keep your eyes open," and she walks down the hallway and into the blackness once again, leaving Mako alone.

* * *

Korra puts on her helmet and goggles and heads down the labyrinth to the prison. She is left with guard duties again, and she's a little irritated at how boring her schedule always is. Never anything exciting. She stops halfway down the hallway of cells and begins her rounds back and forth in her assigned area. At dinnertime, one of her fellows is released from his shift after giving meals to his half of the hallway and she's left to man the wing on her own. She begins walking towards the end when a voice stops her dead in her tracks.

"Korra," it whispers to her, and she knows it's not one of her brothers and sisters because she is completely alone in this wing of the prison. She hears the voice again calling her name, and she realizes it's coming from one of the prison cells on her right hand side. She slowly makes her way towards the cell where the voice is coming from, not knowing what to expect when she looks into the cell. She looks in and sees a boy about her age, maybe a little older staring at her. In the dark it's hard to make out his features, but her eyes catch a glint of red—the red color of his scarf.

Mako watches as the equalist stumbles backwards and almost comically knocks her head against the bars of the empty cage behind her. The impact causes her helmet and goggles to fall of and he first sees her long brown ponytail come out before he sees bright blue eyes staring back at him. He hears her whisper, "How can you be here?" and he immediately recognizes the voice as Korra's. He wants to laugh, cry, punch the air, and somehow metalbend the bars so that he can go to her side all at the same time.

She sounds like Korra and her eyes are unmistakably hers, but she looks different. Her hair is longer and done up in a single ponytail with wild wisps of hair sticking out at all angles. Korra was never thin, but this Korra was. Her eyes sink back into her head and deep, purple bags rest under them, and her cheekbones stick out of her face. Mako feels a pang of guilt. If only he hadn't failed her, life would be the way it was. She would be the happy, healthy Korra of his memories and not the thin, tired looking girl sitting right in front of him. Even though she looks different, she's still Korra and he needs to rescue her.

"I'm not going to ask you again. Who are you and how do you know who I am," he hears her ask in a commanding tone and he realizes that he's been ignoring her while he was deep in thought.

"You'll never believe me if I did," he answers, looking down at the floor. He doesn't want to meet her gaze because he hates looking at Korra and her looking back at him like he's a stranger.

This is not the answer she wants, or is expecting, so she marches up to the cell, opens the door with her keys, chi blocks Mako, disregarding his cries of shock and protest, and drags him along by his scarf, which almost chokes him. She stops when she hears him splutter and gasp for air, and she takes him by the wrist instead. She leads him out of the prison, down a few tunnels and into a dark room with a desk. She drops him in one of the chairs, turns on a very bright light, and sits opposite him behind the desk.

* * *

"I'm going to ask you again," she says, shining the light in his face, "who are you, and how do you know who I am?" The situation is so theatrical that Mako almost laughs, but stops himself when he sees her expression of confusion and fright plastered across Korra's face.

He decides to tell her everything, not too concerned at this moment whether she believes him or not. "My name is Mako, I'm a firebender, and…" he stops, not sure how to say the last part so he mutters, "and I'm your boyfriend." _Or at least I was, _he thinks sadly to himself.

Mako catches a small hint of recognition flicker across Korra's face at the mention of his name, but she asks coolly, "What was that last part?"

Mako sighs and says, making sure to enunciate every syllable, "I. Am. Your. Boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? You're getting a little ahead of yourself there bender; we've only just met. You'll have to buy me a drink first. And I think I'd remember if I had a boyfriend."

"You don't remember because you were brainwashed by Amon… and I'll take you up on that offer later." Mako plays along with Korra at the moment, but he knows that time is of the utmost importance, and the more he humors her, the greater chance they might get caught.

"You've been hitting up the cactus juice haven't you? And who said there's going to be a later pretty boy?"

"Stop it Korra, this is serious!" Mako cries, and his tone catches Korra off guard

"I-I was only joking and I thought you were too" she stammers. If she ever dreamt of a conversation with the scarf boy, she never imagined it going down like this.

"No you really were brainwashed! Why aren't you listening to me?!" He hates how he can't think of an argument that will get her to listen to him, to believe him. He hates himself for not having any evidence for her. Even the love they once shared does not count anymore. Not if Korra does not love him back.

"So, if I really was…brainwashed like you say. Then who was I before?"

"The Avatar…." He mumbles, avoiding her gaze. He forgot how impossible Korra was sometimes.

"The Avatar! You have a really wild imagination there don't you? First you think I'm your girlfriend next the Avatar, and let me guess; you're really a four hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings?" She's laughing, but when she looks at the boy she stops. He's not looking at her and he had pulled his scarf over his mouth. It may just be a trick of the light, but Korra thinks she sees a single tear roll down his cheek.

"Hey. Hey, stop that," she says softly, placing a hand on his face with such gentleness that Mako almost believes for a moment that it's the old Korra looking back at him. Korra is also surprised by her actions, but she felt she needed to comfort him. Seeing the boy from her dreams cry makes her heart ache, and even though his beliefs of her being the avatar and his girlfriend are impossible, they don't' sound as crazy as they did when he first stated them. He's the exact same person from her dreams, and that can't be an accident.

"Come on Mako, I'm taking you out of here," she finally decides. He looks at her utterly bewildered as she stretches her arm out for him to take.

He slowly takes her hand before asking, "So, you actually believe me then?"

"Not really," she replies and notices the return of his sullen disposition.

"Then why are you doing this? If you don't believe me then why do you even trust me?"

"I can't explain it, but a part of me trusts you. Also, if you lose your bending and get locked up for good, you can't buy me that drink." She smiles and Mako can't help but smile back.

"Are you going to come with me?" he asks.

"I-I don't know," she answers; a part of her holds her back. Something about running away with Mako and leaving her mundane life behind appeals to her, while at the same time a part of her mind holds her back and tells her that escape is not the right thing. Why should she escape? What does she have to escape from? She doesn't answer the question in her head because she realizes that she has to get Mako out before other equalists realize that she is not at her post and that a prisoner is missing.

* * *

Amon sits at is desk, brows furrowed behind the mask in concentration. He works on the mountain of paperwork before him. His forces have taken Republic City, and he prepares for an all out war on the rest of the world. Once every bender in the city was equalized, he could finally strike the United Republic. A knock at his door breaks his concentration, and he tells the visitor to come in. He's surprised to see his lieutenant and one of the sergeants he tasked with watching over the avatar.

"What's going on?" he asks and he immediately realizes something is wrong by the expression on the young woman's face.

"There's a traitor among us sir, and I think she might be trying to rescue the Avatar!"

"What makes you think that the Avatar's in danger?" he asks, thinking that this is pointless. That someone rescuing the Avatar from the middle of the Equalist headquarters is impossible.

"Well, because," Sergeant Kazue looks deeply ashamed of herself, "a few days ago one of my sisters attempted to bribe me into letting her be the Avatar's roommate, and when I refused she attacked and locked me up in one of the empty prison cells. One of my brothers found me this morning and brought me to the Lieutenant. I'm sorry I-I failed."

"I'll deal with your failure later, but finding the Avatar is essential. Lieutenant, see if the she is at her post and sergeant, check her room to see if the traitor is still among us. If you find either of them, bring them to me." He watches as they leave and returns to his paperwork, as if he's completely confident that the Avatar is in fact at her post. It's only when the Lieutenant returns empty handed that he begins to worry.

"She's not there and there's a prisoner missing. Sir, what do you want to do?"

"I'll find her and her companion. Prepare Cleansing Room 7 for when I bring her back."

* * *

Mako and Korra, hand in hand, sprint down empty tunnels in the seemingly endless labyrinth and reach another dead end. "I thought you knew where you were going!" Mako cries out of desperation. This is the third dead end Korra has brought them to, and a feeling of dread washes over him. They've been gone to long, and someone is bound to notice.

"I'm sorry I don't know every inch of this labyrinth!" she replies at him.

"How do you call yourself an equalist?! Honestly, Korra!"

** "**Come on, let's go in here," Korra flings open a door that leads to a training center. Her heart drops when she sees the person standing between them and the exit at the end of the room. Amon. It's as if he's been waiting for them.

He's slowly clapping while he walks out of the shadows, which sends a chill up both of their spines. "Congratulations firebender, you've successfully conned one of my sisters…and you almost got away on top of that," he smirks behind the mask.

"Don't call her that," Mako spits back at him, his face contorting with rage. How dare Amon refer to Korra like that?

He completely ignores Mako and turns to Korra, whose body trembles slightly with fear. "If you admit to your mistake and come back to me, I might be able to forgive you," Korra takes an involuntary step forward, but a hand holds her back, she looks at Mako—crazy, impossible Mako. He's the boy with the scarf, the boy from her dreams. No matter what Amon says, no matter how much his words ring with truth in her mind; she can't abandon Mako.

"No!" Korra yells in response to Amon, and she wants to disappear when she sees him closing the distance between them. She outstretches her arm in an attempt to shield Mako, even though Amon is a head taller than her and most likely more skilled in combat than she is. Not to mention stronger. Both she and Mako are frozen with fear when Amon raises his hand and brings it hard across Korra's face. The impact sends her to the ground, and this action pushes Mako over the edge. He begins to take on Amon in hand-to-hand combat.

Korra watches with a mix of awe and terror, but she knows she needs to help Mako. Without his bending he's clumsy, and Korra suddenly regrets chi-blocking him. Not once did Mako ever try to hurt her during their time together. Amon over powers Mako and pins him to the ground. Korra then throws herself on top of Amon, trying to jab at his chi points; trying everything to get him off Mako.

Her muscles seize up violently and an unseen force throws her off of Amon, but she never hits the ground. She feels a vise like grip around her throat, slowly choking her and holding her in the air.

_"You're a bloodbender?" she hears herself say, but she's not looking at Amon. Instead there's a tall man of water tribe decent wearing a light blue suit and distinctive, three ponytail hairstyle. _

_ "Very observant," is his reply, and he looks at Korra with an expression of pure, unadulterated hatred._

_ "But there's not a full moon. How…how are you doing this," she asks._

_ "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Avatar."_

The vision fades and Korra realizes that Amon's the bloodbender. That he's a complete sham. She also realizes that everything Mako said was true, even if she can't wrap her mind around it. She really is the Avatar and Amon is the real enemy. Mako wasn't crazy. She looks on helplessly as Amon, lifts a weakened Mako, to take his bending away for good.

"Don't touch him!" Korra gasps, and this causes Amon to stop what he is doing, He throws Mako using his psychic bloodbending, and he loses consciousness and crumbles to the ground after hitting the opposite wall. She wants to run, to scream, but she's slowly running out of air. Amon releases the chokehold and she falls to the ground, a gasp of pain escaping her as her knees come down hard on the ground. She still can't move a muscle and Amon's upon her once again.

He grabs her face in his hands and her mind screams at her to struggle to fight, but her body ignores her pleas under the charlatan's control. He forces her to look into his cold, emotionless eyes. "It's a shame young Avatar. You could have come to me when I asked and you wouldn't be in this mess. Now I'll have to punish you for your disobedience."

He doesn't even need to look at her to send a wave of crippling pain coursing through her body. She mouth opens in a silent scream as her muscles tense, and she thinks she can hear her bones creak under the strain. The tears forming in her eyes don't spill over, and her vision goes fuzzy. She wants it to be over, but Amon isn't anywhere near done and the torture seems to go on for an eternity until he finally releases her. She crumples on the floor, and she takes many sharp intakes of breath before looking up at him with the most hateful look she can muster.

"I-I can't believe I spent a whole year working for you! I can't believe I believed your lies!" she screams angrily. She hates him. She hates him for taking a year of her life from her. Hates him for keeping her locked up in the dark. Hates him for everything bad he's ever done to anyone.

"It's amazing the power I hold over you," he says, the permanent smirk on his mask taunting her.

"You have no power over me anymore!" she cries, lunging forward to attack, but he paralyzes her once again with his bloodbending.

"Not now, but that will be remedied. I broke you once, and it'll be easier this time. It's a shame your little friend isn't awake for you to say goodbye…"

"No," she whimpers. This time he lifts his hand, but she doesn't feel any pain. She hears a groan from the other side of the room and she realizes that he's bloodbending Mako…that he plans on killing him. "No!" the voices of all the past Avatars cry and Korra's eyes glow blue, and she loses herself to the power of the Avatar State.

"Impossible," Amon whispers. A large gust of air knocks him off his feet and sends him flying into a rack of training equipment. Korra brings down the wall behind him and sends it falling on his head. He doesn't stir under the equipment and debris, but she's not done. She begins to bring down the tunnel leading to the training facility.

"Korra," she hears a voice behind her and she turns around to glare at him. He's standing beneath her, his red scarf whipping around his face in the wind she's creating. He reaches up to pull her down, and she allows him to. Her eyes stop glowing and return their normal shade of blue. He carries her across the room, carefully avoiding any debris or rubble.

"Mako…you're alive…I remember," he hears her whisper and his heart almost stops. He brushes a strand of hair out of her face and he sees that she's crying. He wipes away the tears before they can roll down her cheeks. "How's Bolin and Asami?" she asks.

"They're fine, they're perfectly fine," Mako answers and he feels his eyes begin to water. "I'm so sorry I let this happen to you Korra."

"It wasn't your fault…I failed…I couldn't stop him."

"Don't worry about anything now. You're safe. I'll never lose you again. I promise."

"I'll hold you to your word city boy," she says and Mako laughs.

"Korra, I-I love you," he needed to say it now, before Korra loses consciousness…before she forgets.

"I love you too," she replies, smiling before her head lolls over in his arms. Mako knew there would be equalist reinforcements any minute and he doesn't want to risk Amon regaining consciousness either. He runs with Korra in his arms out of the training facility and into the sunlight. He sees Asami's car waiting for them.

"What happened? You were gone so long—I almost came in after you!" Asami asks from the driver's seat. Mako places Korra under a blanket in the backseat.

"Just drive, Asami. We need to get out of here," he says, and the engine of the car comes to life and the tires screech when Asami floors the gas, getting them as far away from the Equalist Headquarters as they possibly can.


End file.
